UHF waves are very weakly reflected by the ionized layers of the upper atmosphere. Therefore, unlike longer waves, they bend very little around the curvature of the Earth and are easily obstructed by tall buildings and mountains. They can, however, be concentrated into narrow, highly directional signal beams. These characteristics make UHF suitable for line-of-sight applications that require high accuracy. Besides their use in television broadcasting, UHF waves are utilized in ship and aircraft navigation systems and for certain types of police communications. In some instances, radio communications between spacecraft and Earth-based tracking stations are carried via UHF signals. See alsoVHF.

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conventionally defined portion of the electromagnetic spectrum including any radiation with a wavelength between 1 and 10 metres and a frequency between 300 and 30 megahertz. VHF signals are widely employed for television and radio transmissions. In the United States and Canada, television stations...

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